Can Bleach Reduce Thickness?

[WaitingSoLong]

So...I have been growing out sun-in "highlights" for a year now. My roots are anywhere from 4-6".

I was wondering if bleach/sun-in can reduce the hairs actual thickness (the strands). Like...does it ruin the hair shaft enough it actually loses its individual volume or thickness?

I ask because my roots have reached the length that most of them can be in a ponytail and I noticed it seemed thicker than before, so I did my thickness measurement and IT IS! About 1/2" bigger circumference (from 2.75 to 3.25)! Another few months and ALL my roots will be in the ponytail holder. :)

[tori93]

I'm not sure, i thought that bleach just changes the structure of the hair.
I have bleached my hair before and for me it makes my hair thicker, maybe because of the damage it gets frizzier and feels thicker. When i used hair dyes though my hair definately feels thinner though.

[Avital88]

yes mine always gets thinner because of bleaches ,i dont know the knowhow of it,but it certainly isnt good

[morrigan*]

Mine get thiner too because of the bleaching :)

[CurlyZ]

When I used to bleach my hair it felt like it made my hair thicker. Like somebody mentioned here before "maybe because of the damage it gets frizzier and feels thicker".
But after a while I lost a lot of hair due to breakage.
Now that my broken hair grew back I am under the impression that my ponytail is still a little thinner than when my hair was bleached. But I am pretty sure that's just because it is not "rough" but silky smooth without the bleach.

[ElusiveMuse]

My hair was definitely thinner when I bleached it.

[WaitingSoLong]

I just realized that my major shed last year and resultant new growth is also the same length as my roots, so it could be all that new hair is just now long enough to get into my pony circumference as well.

[ebba]

it might be that your hair broke off more with bleach so there was far less hairs there because lots broke off??

[WaitingSoLong]

it might be that your hair broke off more with bleach so there was far less hairs there because lots broke off??

I suppose, but I know I had a huge shed last fall. I have been watching the new growth get longer and longer.

[littlenvy]

For me the answer is YES!
I still have a little bit of bleached hair left over at the ends and I can SEE a big difference between the thickness of the virgin hair and the bleached.

[Yame]

Yes, bleaching makes the hair thinner, but it probably depends on how much you bleach.

Around 10 years ago when I bleached my hair slightly so I could dye it red, I did not notice a difference in the thickness of the strands, but when I bleached a piece of my hair (my side bangs) multiple times a few years later to make it *white,* the strands became much thinner (and brittle, and dry, and porous, and straw-like, and easy to break off).

With that said I think when I gathered that part of my hair together, it looked thicker than it would have before, but that's because of the way the hair got textured after all the bleaching, which changed the way it lay together and made it all wonky and stuff. Thank goodness I only did it to my bangs and not my whole head.

[Bish]

I think it does.

A hairdresser once to me said that bleach thickens your hair, because of the damage it does to the hair. The hair cuticles that are opened because of the bleach make the hair feel thicker.

But I guess the damage and breaking of hair because of bleaching will eventually make your hair thinner (is happening to me).

I have bleached hair that I'm trying to grow out. I hope my ponytail becomes thicker too!

[ssjhotau2]

I don't know if Sun In does. I used Sun In in high school (no blow dryer) and it turned my hair white/yellow very quickly just by spending tons of time in the sun and applying it daily. However, I didn't notice any change in the texture of my hair other than my normal damage from wearing it down and brushing while wet.

When I tried to bleach out dye later I did lose alot of hair and my hair gained a rough texture and became very brittle. The last few inches of my length are the remnants of the bleached hair and running my fingers down the individual hairs they are smooth until the end where it feels like there are chunks missing from the sides. Bleach definitely causes damage.

If you really want to go lighter I would recommend Sun In or trying a natural way to lighten hair.

[xoxophelia]

I'm sure it depends on how much you use it. Obvious answer I know ^_^' ... but if you used the sun in just once and only touched up your roots I doubt that would cause a huge difference. The more you do it though, the more breakage and protein loss from strands you are likely to have.

[Plumeria]

I think the single Hair is getting thicker because of the damage. (Like the others said.)
But the Hair-volume could get thinner because of shedding. Your damaging not just the hair by bleaching it. Also the skin is getting stressed by this procedure.

[WaitingSoLong]

Also the skin is getting stressed by this procedure.

Can you explain this? My skin is perfectly healthy???

[spike316]

Can you explain this? My skin is perfectly healthy???

I can't speak for plumeria, but I believe she's referring to the scalp skin upon contact with the product which could have caused damage to it. Now a year later it should have fully recovered. ^_^

[pink.sara]

Yes it makes a big difference.

When you bleach you destroy the pigment molecules in the core of the hair and raise the cuticle.
This means it's instantly a bit coarser and rougher. But has actually lost the inner molecules that fill the core and open cuticles mean lost keratin also, meaning the hair does shrivel up quite a bit.

My White streak is considerably thinner than the other side, and it's not from breakage.

[WaitingSoLong]

When you bleach you destroy the pigment molecules in the core of the hair and raise the cuticle.
This means it's instantly a bit coarser and rougher. But has actually lost the inner molecules that fill the core and open cuticles mean lost keratin also, meaning the hair does shrivel up quite a bit.

THIS is what my mind was picturing exactly!

[pink.sara]

I always feel a little sorry for my thin bleached streak when I section it off to do my roots and see how small it is! :rolleyes: